


Violet To Blue

by canterofmysinnings



Category: 80s Music - Fandom, Nik Kershaw (Musician), Paul Young (Musician), The Krew (band), The Royal Family (Band)
Genre: Cannot Spit It Out, Co-Workers Falling In Love, First Love, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rarepair, Will they or wont they?, Work In Progress, business partners to lovers, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2020-12-01 19:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20877860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canterofmysinnings/pseuds/canterofmysinnings
Summary: Nik Kershaw and Paul Young are well into their respective careers when they meet by accident at the 1984 BPI Awards. After getting to know each other better, they decide to collaborate in the future for Nik's tour of America. Nik gets a growing crush on the tall and handsome Paul Young early on, while it for Paul stays on a very subconscious level, one might even say that he is in denial. As their tour progresses, their attraction to each other steadily grows. How will they deal with a developing romantic relation aside their - at least on the surface - strictly platonic and business-centred partnership?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! I hope you enjoy my "Youngshaw" fanfiction just as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've read a few other fanfictions on Nik, but I didn't find what I was looking for at all - Nik/Paul is truly a rarepair, then! They were so good together, yet so little evidence of the depth of their feelings was ever presented to the public. I'm happy to do the hard work if it means more will realise just what a dynamic they have - in canon too.
> 
> In this chapter, Nik and Paul meet for the first time - quite by accident. They then decide to give working with each other a try, and it all looks promising so far. A phone call between them holds exciting potential.

**December 18**, **1984**

_"Congratulations! It was an amazing contribution. Now onto the next artist..."_

Nik sat back into his seat. His head was slowly beginning to hurt dully from the sound level at the venue. It was getting painful for his attuned ears, especially as he'd foolishly turned up without any ear protection.

He looked around the sections of seats and at the different pop stars sat there. In the dim light, he could barely recognise anyone, but looking to his right side a little farther away, Nik noticed a young man in leather clothes sitting by what looked like his manager and assistant as well. _He was famous,_ Nik thought to himself. The famous thing, Nik didn't have any issue whatsoever with. It was just that something about this leather-clad, dark-haired lad Nik couldn't let slide.

Nik then realised who it was. It was Paul Young, a guy born near London, whose musical career had taken off just a year earlier. He felt a strange kind of butterflies flutter inside as he decided to try to get his attention after absentmindedly fixating on him for a while. Moving to the edge of his seat, his eyes locked on Paul's face and he waved to Paul.

"Paul Young?" He called out and waved, still looking at Paul. Paul, who was sat in a more lit up area still some sections away, randomly looked at Nik's face, but then quickly looked away again. Nik felt awkward as he sat back down again, and a lecturing glance from his assistant certainly didn't make the experience any lighter. He scratched the back of his hair as he shifted his attention back to the award show.

**An hour later...**

_"And thank you all for your participation in this year's BPI. We'll see you around next year, yes? Goodnight, ladies and gentlemen. "_

After the clapping subsided, Nik let out a tired sigh as he adjusted some hair which was annoying him around his right ear. He felt drained from sitting and listening to the noisy show for around an hour and a half. His ears were ringing slightly, as well as he realised that he hadn't eaten something for a while.   
Looking to the left for his brunette assistant and to the right for his blonde manager, he shuffled in his seat.   
"Lauren, Brian, are you ready to go?" He asked them.   
Brian reached for his bag and Lauren stretched discreetly.   
"Yes, is you are? Back to the dressing room?" Lauren asked him.   
"Er, yes, I suppose. I'm hungry, haven't eaten anything for long. And I need some proper rest as well." He smiled sweetly with the last energy he could muster up.

"We have to be out of here by 8 o'clock, Nicholas," Brian reminded Nik. "You know, busy day tomorrow. You're going to be up early tomorrow morning."   
"Yes, Brian, it's okay!" Nik insisted. "Can we meet at half past 7? I think I desperately need time alone."

Brian and Lauren looked at each other, then smiled. "Sounds good to us. We'll get you at your dressing room."

"Thank you. I'll be there," Nik muttered before he hurried down the hallways to get his much-needed peace for his sore head.   
Walking down the hallways, he tried to find his assigned dressing room. When he found it, his hunger increased.

Nik bit the inner of his lip in frustration as he searched the room for something edible.   
As he found a container of cheese crackers on the table, he had to restrain himself not to rip the entire thing apart on the spot. Instead, he rubbed the bridge of his nose to regain his self-control and open it the proper way.   
With shaking hands, he poured himself a glass of water and finally, a make-shift snack was ready.

After eating a few of the cheese crackers with water, he felt better in a matter of minutes. The silence made him feel much better, but he still felt like something was missing. Closing his eyes against the counter, he took a deep breath before taking on his jacket. His fingers went to the red and white package in his jacket... His cigarettes. Then, he put on a pair of sunglasses and went outside to smoke.

When Nik first got outside, he attempted to pull out a cigarette from the package, but couldn't bring himself to it in the mellow light from the other side of the door. The sky was dark and above the building, stars appeared one by one, the more he looked. Nik felt a streak of inspiration as he took off his sunglasses to see them properly. Unfortunately, as Nik was going backwards, he almost tripped over a fixed, elevated object on the ground, which made his pulse go up. His cigarettes fell out of his pocket and Nik frowned as he went to pick up the package from the ground. He stuffed them back into his pocket and felt considerably worse than before as he went back into the hallway and walked in the direction of his dressing room.

_"Why does every darn thing go wrong for me today?"_ Nik mumbled to himself as he went up the stairs. As he returned up to the hallway of his dressing room, he noticed a man talking with his assistant, Lauren. Nik was confused at first, but hearing that they seemed to have a nice conversation, he decided to ignore it and walk on.   
"Nik Kershaw?" Someone called out. Nik turned around.   
The young man was of a similar build as Nik himself, although noticeably taller with a dark blonde mullet as opposed to Nik's mousy coloured hair. He had brown eyes and glowing skin, as well as round, almost boyish facial features. The voice belonged to Paul Young.

"Yes, it's me. You must be Paul Young," Nik replied hesitantly, still not sure how to read the situation. In response, Paul smiled warmly and turned his body towards him. Nik sensed some intrigued vibrations from him and took a deep breath in.   
"That's right." Paul tilted his head, and Nik noticed out of the corner of his eye that his assistant Lauren was retreating from the conversation, most likely to give them time alone.

Nik laughed awkwardly, not sure how to react or how to speak to Paul. "What were you doing with my assistant, Lauren?" Nik asked, his hands playing with some loose threads on the inside of his trouser pocket.   
Paul raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "She's my acquaintance. We've spoken on and off before. I thought I'd catch up on her. Been a while." He explained.

Nik blinked in confusion, but then shook it off and took a few steps back to regain his composure. Paul kept his position, yet a smile grew bigger as he noticed the cigarette carton through the pocket of what now was a vulnerable-looking Nik.   
"Were you outside to smoke?" Paul asked Nik.   
Nik, who figured he was unable to hide it for Paul, felt his cheeks redden as he took out the carton and held it between his hands.   
"No. I mean... Yes. But only when I'm stressed." Nik stumbled over his words as he felt exposed by Nik. If Nik had lost any face in the one-sided situation a few hours ago, then now the situation was almost unbearably awkward.   
"Oh, no, don't worry about it!" Paul gestured his palms towards Nik, who stuffed the cigarettes into his pocket again. "I don't judge you for it. I don't smoke myself, but I don't mind it when others do."

Nik's blue eyes flickered with insecurity as he rubbed his neck as a means to calm himself and took a few steps back towards Paul. He felt safer now the awkwardness had settled a bit.   
"Thanks, Paul. Just don't tell any of my fans. They're girls and all quite young. I don't want them to get the message."

Paul's brown eyes now sparkled with amusement. "If they are that young, you'll be fine, Nik! They still live with mum and dad, don't they? Besides, I reckon my fans are just as young."

Nik smiled gratefully at Paul as they walked towards the other end of the hallway with dressing rooms. He felt a little out of it with Paul, but he assumed Paul maybe wanted to walk towards his dressing room.

"What did you work as, again?" Nik asked, putting his hands into his pockets to feel the illusion of control over the situation.   
Paul almost stopped in his tracks when he heard Nik ask that question.   
"Nik, are you alright? I suppose you know I'm a pop star like you?"   
It was now Paul's turn to be taken by surprise.

Nik blushed again in embarrassment as he covered his face. He barely noticed that Paul had guided them into his dressing room and closed the door behind them.   
"Goodness, Paul, I'm so sorry! You must think I'm daft now. I really am not, I don't know what's happening to me." Nik sighed as he sat down on the nearest chair in the room.

Paul looked just as puzzled for a moment before he turned his attention to the table with a bowl of fruit salad in the middle.   
Politely, he looked back at Nik.   
"Do you want some fruit salad?" He asked Nik.

"Yes, sure, thank you, Paul. I ran out of proper food in my dressing room. I felt the consequences of that earlier." Nik cleared his throat as he stared out of the window, into the darkness outside.

"I hope you're better now. " Paul smiled at Nik shyly.   
"Well, thanks. It's been quite a long day for me anyhow." Nik started to zone out a bit as the tiredness got to him.

"No, really? When did you get up?" Paul snickered, slowly leaning closer - but not too close - resting his hands on the table a bit away from Nik.

"Er, five in the morning, how's that for you?" Nik grimaced jokingly, trying to hide the fact that he was beginning to find the tall black-haired soul star in front of him rather attractive, thus a sneaking feeling of being out of control was getting to him.

"Five in the morning is business as usual to me," Paul raised his eyebrows, "I didn't type you as the sleepy kind upon first meeting you."

Nik looked at Paul puzzlingly for a few seconds. When he came up with the perfect reply, he smirked and tilted his head sweetly. "And I didn't type you as the kind to tease, personally, but what do I know, huh, Paul?"

Paul now corrected himself to stand back up in an upright position. His eyes flicked from the table to Nik and back again.   
"I..."   
He opened his mouth to talk, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Paul then looked at his shoes and walked a short distance away from the table Nik was still sat by.

As Paul sought to collect himself again, he tried to make sense of what had just happened in his head.

_I might have met a lot of people in my lifetime, _Paul scratched his hair absent-mindedly, _but this is the first time I've felt this tongue-tied intellectually._

"Paul? Paul? I 'eed' t... o now..."  
Paul felt quite a stir back to reality as he finally realised Nik was waving at him from the door.

"Sorry? I didn't hear you, Nik." Paul took a few clumsy steps towards Nik as he tried to shake off the feeling from before.  
Nik, with his assistant by his site and manager on the other side of the door, took it gracefully.  
"I said I need to go now, Paul. But it has been such a pleasure to be with you. And thanks for the salad." Nik insisted.

Paul, without thinking much and in an attempt to clear his head, grabbed a glass of water from the nearby table.  
"You're welcome, Nik." Paul chuckled softly. "I've heard your songs on the TV. I liked them. Maybe I should give you my contact so that we could discuss business together in the future."

Nik bit his lip, trying to meet the much taller man's eye contact. "Uh, yes. That sounds like a good idea for both of us. I liked your songs too, by the way." He said sincerely.

"Thank you so much," Paul muttered, sensing that Nik's assistant was growing impatient with him and that the conversation was going to end.

"Nik, are you ready to go?"

Paul promptly retreated from the doorway as he heard Paul's manager's voice cut short their conversation.

Nik uncomfortably adjusted himself.   
"Goodbye, Paul."   
His eyes involuntarily met Paul's as he walked further away. He waved shortly before turning his back on Paul to walk out his manager, Brian's, vehicle.

"Bye, Nik," Paul spoke into thin air after Nik had disappeared around the corner.   
Paul then cleared his throat and attempted to collect his belongings to meet with his assistant and manager later that night.

**A few days later**

Paul had just arrived back home from the studio when the phone rang in his office room. He quickly got rid of his jacket and stepped into the office with hurrying steps, then he picked up the phone slightly out of breath.

_"Hi. Hello, it's Nik Kershaw here."_ Paul felt an exciting tickle in his stomach as he heard Nik says his name.

"Paul Young," Paul said but had to gasp a little for air. "Sorry if I'm a little breathy, Nik, I've just been running to the phone."

Nik chuckled in the other end of the phone line. _"It's fine. I just wanted to take you up on that business thing earlier."_

Paul looked around the office and found a bunch of notepapers and a pen, all while still pressing the phone to his ear.

"Uh-huh, what about it then? What do you have in mind?" Paul asked curiously, fidgeting with the swirls of the phone chord.

_"I thought we could meet up at a studio trying to show each other a bit of our skill really, just to see how we work together. Then take it from there." _Nik slightly stumbled over his words, finishing with accidentally breathing too close to the phone, which made a startling sound on Paul's end.

"That sounds good, Nik! I'd like that. It might also be rather good to explore our dynamic a bit more before we decide to work together if we do, in case we suddenly get into a situation..." Paul trailed off.

Nik snickered, causing the phone static effect again. Paul felt slightly annoyed but shrugged it off a few seconds later.   
_"That's not going to happen, Paul, I'm sure we'll work together just fine,"_ Nik assured.

Paul smiled, more confident about the prospect now.   
"When should we meet up?" He asked, pen in hand, ready to write.

_"Oh, Paul, I don't know. I'm so bad with schedules and decisions like that. My Krew had to push me just for competing for the music videos this year. I get so much carried away and even forget sometimes." _Nik apologised.

Paul raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "Couldn't have guessed it myself, Nik, honestly. Again, you don't strike me as the type."

_"I didn't know I was that hard to type anyway!" _Nik laughed._ "Do you have time in one or two weeks at my studio?"_ He then asked.

"What do ya mean, at your home?" Paul asked, almost feeling a little overwhelmed. His fidgeting increased slightly as he didn't know how to decode the situation.

_"No, not exactly, I mean, maybe at a point, but for now I just pictured it to be a public studio." _Nik sounded hesitant.

"Ah, I get it..." Paul said, feeling awkward and at a halt in the conversation.

_"Please don't take this the wrong way, Paul, it's not that I don't... You know, but I thought we'd..." _It was now Nik who was trailing off.

"You thought we'd wait," Paul mumbled.

_"Truly sorry, Paul. Can we please talk about something else?"_ Nik tried to lighten the mood again by changing the subject.

Paul nodded silently. "That's fine. What are you currently working on, Nik?" He asked.

Nik paused to think. _"Er, I'm doing final touches to some songs I've written earlier this year supposed to come out next Feb,"_ Nik explained. _"I think they will do quite good."_

"I bet they will!" Paul smiled sweetly. "You are the force Nik Kershaw after all." He then complimented.

_"Naw, we'll see about that."_ Nik humbly remarked. "But what projects are you working on lately?" He asked attentively.

"I'm touching up some covers for the next album, as well as planning a few music videos," Paul rubbed his neck, "It's hard work but I think I'm doing well from what I've heard so far."

_"Mh-hm,"_ Nik replied. _"But not as well as me, you have to remember."_ Nik cheekily joked.

"Agh, who is better off than you in the charts? Apart from Queen maybe, you are the one everybody talks about. Especially young girls."

_"You think?"_ Nik asked._ "I barely discriminate who I'm singing for anymore. Girls, boys... Of course, I make a living off it, but once I get home, it doesn't matter to me anymore."_

"No? What matters to you then?" Paul asked, forgetting the purpose of the conversation for a moment.

_"Well..." _Paul heard Nik breathe deeply, _"I just completely switch off at home. I mean, I don't have a family, but it's something else at home, it's like that for me."_

_Wait... He didn't have a family? _Paul thought to himself as he furrowed his eyebrows. _What man with his looks didn't have a family? Was this a joke?_

Paul then collected himself. "I, uh, relate to you. I don't have a family either. It seems too much for me right now." He laughed nervously.

_"That's good... I mean, what a shame. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore._" Nik carefully backpedalled.

"Don't worry about it," Paul said. "Shall we say we're meeting just after New Year's Eve?" He then suggested.

_"Sounds good to me!" _Nik eagerly said._ "I'd like that."_

"But Christmas and New Year's Eve off," Paul said with a hint of teasing.

_"Sure, don't even think of working, Paul!"_ Nik teased back, making them both laugh.

"Good. Well meet the 5th, I do think. Then we'll be in touch. Hope you have a great time."

_"Yes, I'll see you soon, Paul. Thank you!_" Nik said conclusively, and after a few seconds he hung up. Paul contently walked away and started making dinner for himself in the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: Set shortly after New Year's Eve, January 1985.   
Nik and Paul meet at Nik's studio to showcase each other's skills, paving the way for a possible collaboration.

**January 1985**

Paul shuddered in his long, brown coat and black scarf as he said goodbye to his assistant who had driven him as close as possible to the studio of Nik. There was still half a street to cross, and Paul rubbed his reddening nose with his leather gloves, trying to keep himself warm. He caught himself humming the tune of _No Parlez _as he tried his best to control his movements in the steadily thickening snowfall.

When he made it to the studio, he quickly let himself in. Standing in the considerably warmer hallway, he felt the back of his hair get damp from melting snowflakes, and his coat started to get small water drops on it. Paul freed himself of the heavy winter gear and shuffled further inside looking for the reception.

When he made it to the reception, he introduced himself to the young man behind the desk.   
"Hello, m'name is Paul Young. I'm looking for Nik Kershaw," Paul said, trying to get his stiff, wintery limbs back to life again.   
"Wouldn't it be good if you found him to be... Just the room to the left, really, and up the stairs." The receptionist smiled at Paul. "I'm a big fan of you, by the way." He then added.   
Paul was taken a little aback by his comment because he was currently somewhere else entirely inside of his mind.   
"Thanks. I appreciate it. But I'm a little busy right now," Paul stammered before he started to walk away in the direction he'd shown him.

True to the receptionist's words, Paul had to walk upstairs to get to Nik's studio. Still feeling a bit weary from the cold, Paul cursed the architecture ideas of the studio as he made his way upstairs.   
When he'd made it upstairs, he tugged on the door handle. Due to his height, he attempted to make himself a little smaller to enter.   
Paul was half-way inside when he discovered Nik, mugs in hand, standing right in front of his awkward manoeuvre.   
"Oh, God-" Paul began excusing himself. Nik inhaled sharply and promptly stepped aside.   
"No need. No need, I was just going to get some sugar. I'll-" Nik shook his head with a silly smile.

"Please don't. I don't take sugar, anyway." Paul gestured, trying to stop Nik's fretting.  
"Erm, okay, sorry." Nik eventually calmed down, and he invited Paul to sit down around a round table in the corner of the studio.

"Okay, Paul, this so-called this business meeting is going terribly, so if you'd like to take a seat and settle down a bit, let's..." Nik sat down, cheeks glowing rosa.

"Don't worry. This isn't make-or-break. We can have some tea and play a bit and we'll see where it takes us, eh?" Paul raised his eyebrows.

Nik nodded and then shifted his attention to the teapot, pouring the tea into the mugs he was holding earlier.   
In an attempt to regain his cool, Nik asked Paul a question after he passed Paul the hot water.   
"What instruments do you play, Paul?" He asked. "I mean, you most likely know that I play the guitar, don't you?"

Paul exhaled as his fingers played with the hot mug. "Yeah, I use mainly my voice on stage, as I like to dance, but I know some piano and guitar. The piano I do well, and as for the guitar, erm, I'm no legendary player, but I've but folks to do it for me." He laughed. Nik chuckled as he took a sip of his tea.

"I do know how to play the piano. However, I would say that I'm the best at the guitar. I tend to get a lot of praise for that." Nik smiled humbly. "Some huge rock profiles said last year that I'm very gifted. But I don't let it get to my head. I come from a middle-class family, after all. What's your background?" Nik then asked Paul.

Paul ran a hand through his hair as he drunk his tea. "Luton. Middle class, also. I have a single coming out later this year about the love of the common people."

Nik tilted his head, visibly interested, as he smiled approvingly. "Do tell me more? What was your life like in Luton?" He asked.

"Er..." Paul thought about exactly what to tell Nik which was entertaining, yet appropriate for this discussion. "I didn't give music ago until a little later in my life. My first job was packing commercial fertiliser into boxes! One of my mates got sick. It was tough stuff." Paul reminisced.

"He did?" Nik said in an emphatic tone of voice. "Awww, then my upbringing was a lot gentler. I spent years attempting to play the violin - badly." He shrugged whilst smiling.

"Well, I can't be the judge of that. I haven't heard it. Maybe you were too hard on yourself," Paul dismissed, still smiling.

"You can't? Oh, well... Let's talk about something else. When did you first discover Soul as a genre?" Nik asked, lifting the teapot in Paul's direction, nonverbally asking him if he wanted more tea. Paul nodded, and Nik took over Paul's cup to pour him the tea. Nik felt slightly taken by surprise by this weird type of compliment. He opened a container of biscuits and pushed them towards Paul invitingly.

Paul took one from the container and bit into it while he recalled some memories going way back.   
"My parents introduced me to the soul community. I was in love with it really early on, but, y'know, I didn't ever think it'd make me a living initially," Paul replied. He dunked his biscuit into the tea; "how did your influences come about? What about them?"

Nik picked up a chocolate biscuit. "I was a David Bowie teenager, and when I was younger, erm, people would mistake me for an actual girl," Nik laughed while cringing slightly, "My mother never felt comfortable with all that girlish stuff."

Paul drank some more tea. "She didn't? Well, we all have our unique style, I suppose." He smiled.   
Nik nodded. "I'm wearing girl clothes right now." He wheezed, getting a little embarrassed over himself.   
"Wait, as in right now?" Paul raised an eyebrow, in the middle of eating another biscuit.   
"My stylist gets them from a girls' shop anyway. I'm rather tiny for a man, so the options are a little limited." Nik looked down into his brew.

"Nuegh. Try being a giant like I am, then we'll talk." Paul moved around the mug with his fingers.  
"I don't think that'd be any better," Nik confessed with a little smirk.  
"You're probably right." Paul licked his lips.

Nik slowly got up from the table after finishing what he considered to be the last cup of tea for the day. Paul looked at him questioningly. "I thought we'd get to work, what d'ya think, Paul?"

Paul rubbed his back as he got up, careful not to clash his head against the lamp above the table.  
"I think that's what we're here for!" Paul replied as he put the mug in the sink. "Where to?" He then gestured confusingly.  
"Follow me." Nik cleared his throat as he took the lead going away from the dining area.

"Eyyyyy. It looks nice, Nik!" Paul applauded as the two men stepped into the studio with red walls. It was warm and cosy looking due to the orange and yellow lights, a very welcome sight compared to the biting cold outside.

"Thanks, Paul. I'm here quite a bit. Take a look and tell me what you'd like to play. I've got a selection of things we could try out." Nik suggested, putting a strand of hair behind his ear as he sat down in a chair in front of an expensive guitar.

"Arrr, Nik, don't tempt me! This makes my musician heart very happy!" Paul cheered, walking around exploring the different instruments. Eventually, he settled for a yellow acoustic guitar which he took down from the wall.   
"Let me show you something," Paul began. He licked his lips once more as he tested the tune of the guitar. After it'd turned out clear, he started strumming with a satisfied smile.

_"Nightclub eyes I can fade, racing cars, who's afraid? _   
_"I'm living to be yours, a mystery, a situation's comedy..."_

Paul coughed a bit since his vocals weren't warm yet.

_"Women, oh women, oh women - Tous les et monsieur_   
_Women, hey women, oh women - Tous les et monsieur..."_

Paul tapped along with his feet as he strummed on the guitar, moving his fingers back and forth with ease. He then put down the guitar and sought the eye contact with Nik, who was smiling softly, sitting comfortably back in his chair.   
"That was good, Paul. I liked that!" Nik praised. "Can you show you another one of your songs? Then, it's my turn." He added.

Paul reached for a water bottle at a counter nearby and opened it. After drinking a few slurps, he put it aside and took the guitar in his hands again.

_"Hum-hum... So call in the middle man, for this is your policy_   
_You just don't wanna talk with me_

_Oh yeah, you hate your children to rise_   
_You hate your children_   
_Oh yeah, you hate your children_   
_Still, you put the hammer in the hands of the children..."_

Paul stopped strumming with a little smile as he finished the showcase.   
"So, do you think that was adequate?" He shyly asked.   
Nik nodded from his chair, impressed.   
"You did a really good job, Paul. Can I show you some of my work now?" He replied.   
Paul got up from his chair and went to sit in another expecting Nik to take his place.  
Nik shook his head as he got up. "I need to show off now, Paul." He smirked as he walked towards the opposite end of the studio room to get a very professional-looking electrical guitar. He searched for a power outlet and turned down the volume before he plugged it in. When he was all set, he turned back up the volume. Paul couldn't help but smile as Nik adjusted to the guitar and played a few chords.  
_De-de-dum-le-dem. _Nik looked at Paul.  
"It's not too loud for you, is it, Paul? We all have different sound tolerance thresholds." He raised his eyebrows with a polite smile.

Paul shook his head as he sat back down into his chair. "Thanks for caring, Nik, but really, I will be fine. I'm not particularly sensitive." Paul responded.

Nik nodded shortly, before he played some more quick chords, giving in to the temptation. Paul focused on Nik's fast-paced fingers as Nik got into it more.

_Dun-dun-de-dam-de. _Nik smiled self-confidently as he looked back at Paul.  
"I want to play for you a little gem of mine called Cloak and Dagger."   
Paul snickered. "I'm intrigued, Nik."

Nik licked his lips as he returned to the guitar playing.

_"We know what you're doing_, _w__e know what you've got_  
_We know how you got it__, b__ut we don't talk a lot_

_And everything's so - dun den deh_   
_Cloak and dagger_   
_Our future in their hands_   
_Promises of promised lands - dun den deh_   
_Cloak and dagger_   
_Our world behind closed doors..."_

Nik cut short the song as he looked at Paul questioningly. "So what're your thoughts on it?"  
Paul crossed his ankles in his chair. "Erm... Isn't there a part which is missing?" He hesitated.  
Nik titled his head. "Boh, there is. But who is it writing the songs here?"  
Paul's eyebrows narrowed. "Oh, no— I didn't mean it like that, Nik. No, no..." Paul backpedalled.  
Nik exhaled silently. "Sorry. I didn't mean it either. The part which is missing is _And what they have is mine and yours"._   
"Uh-uh. I see."   
"Do you want me to play another song?" Nik asked, feeling a little on the edge again.  
"That's fine, I'm sure I'll love it," Paul reassured.

_"_ _He made a record_   
_It made him famous, yes, it made him a star_   
_The life and soul of the party_   
_He rocks and he shocks_   
_You never know where you are with him_

_He got no sense but he got money_   
_He got no sense but he got overnight success_   
_Exceed excess, exceed excess_   
_He no big deal, he just a wide boy_   
_He no big deal he's just an ordinary guy_   
_Oh me, oh my, oh me, oh my..."_

Nik grimaced as he let it fade out. He mimicked a fanning gesture, laughing nervously. "That didn't just make me sweat in the dead of the winter."   
Paul smiled. "Awww, you're very skilled, I can tell from just two songs. I think we might as well collaborate."

Nik blushed a bit at Paul's words, momentarily zoning out.   
_What am I doing right now in the same room as him? He is way too attractive and skilled to collaborate with me._

"You were saying? Agh, it's so hot in here."   
Nik felt insanely awkward all of a sudden.   
"Huh? Well, I don't feel it. Do you want to take a walk outside?" Paul asked concernedly.   
"I'd like that, if it wouldn't bother you too much, Paul—" Nik stopped himself before getting too fretful.   
"'Course it doesn't bother me. Can I borrow a hat, please? I kind of hurried over and forgot it."   
"Sure you can. It's this way."

**Shortly after**

"Press the hat over your ears or they'll fall off, Nik!" Paul sniggered.   
"Eh, eh... I barely can see anything yet!" Nik laughed back, squinting against the icy white surroundings.   
"Jaaaanuary..." Paul burst into song.   
Nik regained his vision and hurriedly put on his gloves.   
"You look a right mess, Paul, so maybe don't comment on my looks."

_I have a feeling this is going to be a bit pining in the long run. I don't quite know what it is, though, _Paul thought.

"Why do you even take everything I say so personally, Nik?" Paul teased back, his cheeks getting red from the sparkling cold.   
Nik felt empty for words at that moment, so he just kept quiet. Paul just shrugged to himself as he sensed Nik wasn't in the mood.   
The yellow-greenish afternoon sun reflected in the huge piles of snow on the ground. A lone black car carefully drove past the street they walked down.

"So... What's your band history, if you have one?" Paul asked curiously after minutes of silence. The snow crunched underneath their winter boots as they walked past a more open park area.   
"Half Pint Hogg, that was. Deep Purple covers, you see. That was average... I was still a guitar novice by then. I felt like I wanted more. But now I have the Krew, of course. That's much more fulfilling. I have more control over my material if that makes sense?"  
Paul stuffed his hands into his winter coat pockets to warm them, even though he was wearing gloves as well as a hat.  
"Yeah. It does for me." He smiled faintly. "Bet you won't guess what my band history is?" He then added.  
Nik shook his head. "I'm afraid I have to say no."  
"Let me remember... Streetband, The Q-Tips, and now The Royal Family." Paul now put his hands out of the pockets to gesture. "The Royal family is my best one so far. We've got some great folks."   
Nik chuckled. "They sure sound so. Do you have a favourite band member?"   
Paul stuffed his hands into his pockets again.   
"I reckon it's Pino Palladino, the bassist. It was like he was born to play the bass. You've got to meet him someday if we all decide to tour together. But I suppose that will be a lot of people."

"No really, is he that good?" Nik gushed. "My bassist's alright - he does help me a great deal. I can be spacey sometimes with people, so that's..." Nik bit his lip, staring at the snow on the road. As the sun started to weaken, heavy white snow clouds took over the sky above them. A gust of wind made the two men shudder and turn around to walk back to the studio.   
"That's alright, Nik. We all have our quirks. Besides, I think we make a good team. We don't misunderstand each other much. A tour with you would be fantastic, eh?" Paul insisted, gently patting Nik's back.

"I think we're great, that's not the issue," Nik said. "I was just thinking that I need to complete my UK tour, and then we could collaborate for my tour of the USA. Er, that will be a massive one." Nik cleared this throat, smiling sheepishly.  
"We can do that just fine, Nik!" Paul replied, feeling a bit confused about the source of Nik's worrying. "It's no problem at all for me." He then said more softly.

"Thank you. I just don't want to be a burden—" Nik rubbed his nose with a gloved hand. "Sometimes, I can be all over the place with my bandmates, and they might not be able to get exactly what I'm talking about. I don't hope this sort of thing pisses you off because that was not my intention."

"Nik, Nik. Listen here." Paul looked at Nik with a serious expression. When they came to the studio, Nik stepped up the stairs while Paul stayed on the ground. This made them roughly the same height. Nik laid his hand on the door handle, but Paul requested his full attention.

"Look. I haven't known you for long, but you already seem to have a lot of reservations about things, always explaining them away or fretting— it's okay, Nik! You don't have to account for everything you do. You're a skilled musician, and I can tell you're very smart too. Let go a little. I believe we're in for a great tour once we've sorted the details, which we will just in time."  
Paul looked at Nik gently.  
"It'll be alright. The States will be a whim."

Nik looked into Paul's brown eyes, trying to take it all in.  
"Thank you, Paul. I needed that," was all that Nik could bring himself to say.  
He then opened the door for them and took off his hat when he was in pleasantly warmer surroundings.  
The two men started talking business as soon as they got inside, walking upstairs to Nik's again.

_"So, should we take it to the management the 14th?"_   
_"The 17th is my birthday, actually, so I'd like that off."_   
_"It is? Happy birthday, Paul..."_   
_"Haha, thank you, Nik. Anyway, let's _ _see_ _..."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note: Set in February 1985.
> 
> Paul introduces Nik to his band, The Royal Family, as well as the Fabulous Wealthy Tarts, a part of the Royal Family band. Nik suggests they get ready together. A regrettable situation occurs when Kim Leslie gets too drunk.

**February 1985**

"Thank you, that's brilliant, and see you all later," Nik concluded, ending the meeting. He walked outside Paul's studio's conference room, drinking the remaining tea from his mug.   
Paul followed suit a little while later.   
"It was dragging out, wasn't it?" Paul smiled cheekily. "Erm, excuse the wait, but I wanted to thank everyone properly for their effort. This is going to be our tour, after all, and I wanted to make sure we all got along well."   
Nik flinched awkwardly. "Were you supposed to? Because it all got too much for me. The signing of papers and I don't even know what got to my head." He rubbed his temple.

Paul sat down on a chair next to the door where Nik stood. Nik moved aside when some other representatives walked out, greeting them in the process.   
When they had left, they resumed the conversation.   
"It could be relevant to know, though, do you struggle with a lot of people around? Do you need space after a while?" Paul asked.

Nik nodded, looking at his nails. "Sure. This meeting was hard for me, and what didn't make it better was the budget planning. I know it's necessary, but it drains me." He complained in a lower voice.   
As a response, Paul expressed his tiredness rubbing his eyes. He didn't immediately understand the reason why, as he was well-rested for today's meeting, but it felt like a sheer reflex.   
"I didn't feel like it was too much. I'm just happy now that it's all sorted out, and that we're running that USA tour financially, too." He chuckled lightly.

The two men started to walk towards the exit of Paul's studio, now the meeting was over. They walked in silence, but when they got outside, their conversation flowed freely and more personally.

"How would you like a party on Friday? To finish off this week of well-done negotiations, and to celebrate a huge tour to come?" Paul asked Nik, pulling his coat closer around himself in response to the cold.  
Nik, in turn, wrapped his blue scarf more tightly around his neck. He coughed before he spoke. "I think I would like that. Er, I mean, I haven't been to a party since last autumn, but I would like to go to a party with you." He smiled sweetly.

"You would? Well, thank you! I wanted you to properly meet my friends and band. We have Maz, Pino, Kewley, Kim, Steve, and Mark." Paul laughed, then sniffed. The cold air was drying out his skin, which he was starting to hate.

"There's still a couple of days I can rest now before the party," Nik joked, feeling a little guilty. "I'm not that much of a party person really, and when I am at the party, I tend to lose a lot of energy quickly."

Paul shuffled in his coat as he looked at Nik forgivingly. "Not everyone in my band is blooming extraverts, Nik. You surely will find someone to chat to. Besides, I'll make sure everyone has a good time." He insisted.

Nik smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Paul. I appreciate it."  
Their conversation was disturbed as a bus approached in the distance in front of the stop they were both standing on. Paul pulled out his bus pass, and Nik looked inside his pocket for any spare change. He exhaled happily when he found it.  
When the bus pulled up, Paul went inside first. Despite his best effort, he still accidentally hit his head against the roof of the bus, as he was too tall to properly fit there. Nik couldn't resist letting out a little giggle as Paul sat down into the left front seat of the bus, almost next to the bus driver. As Nik paid for his ticket, Paul made a silly face at the bus driver from his seat.  
"That's Nik Kershaw in your bus!" He whispered, loudly enough for both Nik and the bus driver to hear. Nik thought to himself that he daren't turn around. The bus driver handled it very maturely and Paul gestured Nik that he could sit with him. Nik accepted.

"We aren't supposed to do this, are we?" Nik laughed awkwardly. "We were supposed to drive off with our respective managers and assistants."  
"No, of course not, Nik," Paul smirked at Nik. "But sometimes it's funnier to take a risk as opposed to the secure option. They can miss us for a while. It won't be a huge loss."

_Oh God, this man makes me do things I'd never dared to do on my own, _Nik thought.

Nik simply nodded to thank Paul, then he stared off in the distance. Paul spaced out as well, following the passing cars with his eyes. As another stop was approaching, Nik flinched in his seat.  
"Paul, I think someone's about to enter at the next stop. Quick, what do we do?" He frantically whispered.  
Paul awoke from his daze, struggling to stretch his sleepy limbs next to Nik. "I think I can put on sunglasses, then you cover your head with my scarf and pretend that you are sleeping. That way, both of us will go unnoticed." He suggested, already reaching for his sunglasses in his pocket. Nik picked up Paul's wide black scarf and covered his face with it as he softly leant in to pretend to sleep upon Paul's wide left shoulder. Paul held his breath feeling the weight of Nik's head against his shoulder but pressed his sunglasses against the bridge of his nose. Writing off a strange look from the bus driver and a couple of children, he rested his head on the cold bus window. He got increasingly tired before he fell asleep with Nik close by him in the front of the bus.

**Four hours later**

Nik was the first one to awaken from the slumber. He woke up when he almost sneezed due to the scarf fibres. He blinked away some dots for the eyes as he looked around. Outside the bus, everything was a dark blue colour. Only small road lights on either side of the ground the bus parked on, let Nik locate roughly where they were. Nik felt increasingly uncomfortable when he discovered that the bus wasn't moving anytime soon, and also that the red digital clock above the STOP marker was showing the time to be 19:20. He bit his lip, stumbling back to Paul. His legs and back both were numb and hurt from sleeping in an uneven position for so long.  
He shook Paul awake by his shoulder, thoughts racing through his head.  
"Paul! Paul, wake up!" Nik gasped. "We both fell asleep, deeply, way too long! We're far from our destination now!"  
Paul rubbed his eyes as he awoke, trying once again to stretch his sore body and this time succeeding. He took off his sunglasses in the process as well.

"It's 19:20, Paul. We fell asleep and forgot the time." Nik stammered, unable to rest.  
It took a while for Paul to get Nik's panicked voice, but once he did, he jolted.  
"Darnit!" He swore, untangling himself from the now very messy black scarf.  
"Shit!" Nik cried back as he sat down by the paralleling seat on the right.  
"My neck's all messy now, so it wasn't even worth it!" Paul cringed. "How can it be we just fell asleep?! Did nobody have the decency to wake us?"  
Nik shook his head violently, rocking back and forth in his seat.  
"How do we ever get back now? This place seems empty. I don't hope we are locked inside." Paul tried to piece together the situation but struggled.  
"No— No, I don't hope—" Nik barely answered, and Paul sensed he was a few minutes away from properly panicking. Paul took a deep breath.  
"Come on, Nik, they can't just leave us here! They saw we were here still!" He argued but trailed off as he saw Nik in such a terrible condition.  
Paul moved over to the seat behind Nik's and gently put a hand on Nik's shoulder.  
After a few moments, they heard a lock being turned from the outside, and someone whistling. A man came in holding a mop in a water container. He looked over the empty turquoise seats and was about to put down the mop when he noticed Paul and Nik at the front seats.

_What is this all about? Is he potentially dangerous?_

Paul heard the man mumble swear words to himself, but restrained himself in hopes for help. The man looked suspiciously from Paul to Nik as he grunted. "You two are not supposed to be here." He said.  
Paul noted that under normal circumstances, this would be matter-of-fact, but due to it being dark and in an unusual place, the man appeared just that notch more creepy than probably intended.  
"I know, Sir. But we are just two tired musicians, we got out of a long business meeting and just fell asleep before our destination. It was completely unintentional."

"Pfff. This useless youth." The man grunted one more time. "Who are you then, if I may ask?"  
Paul pulled out his bus pass and showed it to the grumpy man. "Paul Anthony Young. And that is Nicholas Kershaw by my side. He was very stressed to find out that we overslept, so don't bother him, please." Paul shrugged, snatching back the pass after making sure the man had a long good look.  
The man looked equally as unimpressed as before and had Paul considering alternate routes of escape, but then the three men heard hurrying, lighter footsteps coming nearer the bus. Paul listened in suspense while Nik had simply given up, starting at his knuckles defeatedly.

"Dad?" A blonde girl walked into the bus and down past the seats until she reached the older man. He was taken by surprise and started to sweat as the girl threw herself into his arms.  
"When are we going home? I want dinn-er," she pleaded.  
Paul watched with mixed emotions as the very grumpy man was forced into a parental role. "Yes, yes, honey, we are leaving now, I need to clean the last bus." He said in a babyish voice which almost mismatched her age. Paul cringed at the scene, but a little glimmer of hope came alight inside of him that they might be able to escape with the indirect help from the girl. He found Nik's right hand and put his hand over it. Nik looked at him tiredly, his eyes redding.  
"On three, we run," Paul whispered into Nik's ear. Nik nodded, not letting go of Paul's hand. Paul, as the tallest, took Nik's hand in his as Nik tried his best to get up silently. When they were both upright, they stormed against the back door and ran as fast as they could out on a nearby friend. They gasped for air holding onto each other, out of sight for the man who had scared the lights out of them.

"I thought we'd never get out!" Nik cried out, on the verge of crying from the absurdity of the situation.  
"Try being me defending you!" Paul clapped back, now laughing from the sheer nerves.  
They regained their breath as silent as they could. When they were sure that the scene was clear, Nik whispered to Paul.  
_"Who calls Brian, my manager?"_  
_"Not you right about now, but..."_  
_"God darn it, Paul! Come on..."_

**Two days later, Friday evening**

"Hi again, Paul. I think we're ready to go soon, aren't we?" Nik smirked knowingly as he was standing outside Paul's flat door, a pack of beer in hand. Paul opened the door, letting him in. He had been over for the last three quarters or so for the makeup, but forgot the alcohol in his car.

"I've only had one sleepless night since Wednesday!" Paul flashed his eyebrows, laughing as he took the beers from Nik's hands and put it onto his table. "I hope you haven't been too bad?" He joked back, opening his fridge to take out another considerable load of alcohol.   
"Erm, no, but I was stressed, of course..."   
Nik whistled as he saw Paul's collection.  
As Paul closed the fridge and stuffed his bottles underneath his arms, Nik felt a fluttery feeling in his stomach. He picked up his pack, and the pair headed downstairs after Paul had locked his flat.

When they got to Nik's car, Nik clumsily unlocked it. He waited politely for Paul to get his in first. Paul put in his alcohol as he looked around the seats.  
"Nik, aren't you forgetting something? Your beer—"  
Nik pointed at the beer pack between his hands. "I took it upstairs, I forgot it after the makeup thing you did on me."  
Paul looked from Nik's face to his hands and puzzlingly. "Wha— you did what? That was so impractical!" He wheezed.  
Nik felt himself blush heavily and almost dropped the pack putting it inside the car. Paul couldn't stop laughing for a while, so Nik closed the door to his car to signal they should get going. But as he got into the car himself and turned on the engine, he couldn't stop himself from laughing. "We are so stupid, aren't we! Goodness..."  
They then drove away to the party which Marilyn and Pino hosted in the suburbs.

**Later that evening...**

"Hiya Paul! And you, you must be Nik Kershaw!" A brunette young boy, quite tall, said as Nik and Paul arrived at the party site: Pino and Marilyn's flat. A young lady had her arms wrapped around him, clearly staying to whom he belonged. Nik smiled nervously as Paul glanced at him which he didn't notice.  
"Hi, I'm Nik. I'm not as confident as they make me seem on TV. But I've been looking forward to this party a lot. Happy to meet you all." He clutched the pack of beer he was carrying for comfort.  
"Maz, or Marilyn. Backing singer." The woman who was holding the curly brunette said.  
The brunette man smiled at his apparent girlfriend. "I'm Pino. The bassist."  
The couple retreated from the door, enabling Nik and Paul to go inside. While Paul and his friends started to small-talk, Nik discreetly hung up his coat and hat in the hallway and walked into the living room area.

Here, he noticed a brunette woman with short hair sitting on a leather sofa. She was stroking a kitten and talking to it. Another member of Paul's band was to be found going through a green box of records, while the last one, also a brunette man, was by the looks of it preparing snacks, alcohol and party games. Nik liked that the music playing was loud, but not too loud. The woman in the sofa nuzzled her kitten behind the ears as she finally greeted Nik. "Welcome, Nik! I'm Kim. I'm Paul's backing singer. Behind those records we have Steve, and that's Mark!"

Steve, record in hand, greeted Nik warmly. "Hello. I play the guitar for Paul."  
Mark, the last one to introduce himself, turned around and offered to take the beer from Nik.  
"Sorry for the delay. I'm Mark. My role in the band is to play the piano." He smiled.  
As Paul and his other bandmates walked into the room again, Nik felt a bit left out and exposed. This feeling quickly faded as his eyes met Paul's across the room. He instantly felt better.

Paul, as the lead singer, was the natural centre of attention and stepped into the middle of the room, all eyes on him.  
"I hope all of you will welcome Nik. He'll be my new tour partner for the year, and together we'll conquer America!" He cheered, causing everyone to smile.  
"Mark, won't ya get the drinks? Let's drink to that."  
Mark put on an experienced face as he gave everyone a clean glass and gestured for them to take a drink. Paul promptly poured himself a glass of Nik's beer, while Nik wasn't in the mood. Instead of turning to alcohol, he poured himself a glass of Coca Cola. No-one seemed to care as after the first couple of sips and cheers with each other. Nik noticed that Kim especially liked the available red wine. Soon after, the band settled down in the party area to chat and drink as well as play some party games.

**Late at night, a quarter past midnight:**

Nik felt only mildly intoxicated, as he had succeeded alternating water, soft drinks and alcohol. Paul had quickly switched to the same strategy, much to Nik's amusement. They were now equally as drunk. Mark and Steve were a little drunker while Pino was completely sober. Regarding the girls, Marilyn was sticking to the occasional glass of alcohol in between water. Kim, however, was drinking wine at a worrying pace. Steve was side-eyeing her occasionally but didn't comment further.

Pino had picked up the kitten and was playing with it. But after finishing a glass of orange juice, he passed the cat to Paul, who sat next to him. Pino demanded the group's attention, and (almost) everyone now looked at him.  
"Dear friends. I know we all are varying degrees of drunk," Pino paused for Marilyn and Kim to drunkenly laugh about something before he continued, "I know we all are varying degrees of drunk, but I thought we should play another party game."  
Paul nuzzled the kitten in his lap, feeling the alcohol in his blood to some extent. Nik tried to hold back a drunken grin, downing a glass of water.  
"I call it Know-It-All, but I stole it from a friend, my friend George from college. Thanks, mate." Pino sensed his drunken party mates were getting quite unruly again, so he put in another pause for everyone to collect themselves.  
"The rules of the game are the following: In this box, I have written a bunch of general multiple-choice questions. When it's your turn, you read aloud a question and remember your answer. Everyone else has to choose which reply they think you would choose. They bet a crisp or a sweet. When everyone has taken their bet, the original reader reveals their reply. This makes everyone get to know each other more. Understood?" He confidently said.  
Nik looked at Pino admiringly as the game began. Pino played first, then Maz, then Kim, then Mark and Steve. When it was Paul's turn, even Pino had forgotten the order of the table, so it was Nik's turn once again. Nik felt increasingly hot and even drunker from the nerves discovering it was his turn once again. Paul didn't seem to mind as he took the kitten back from Nik.  
"Looks like it's your turn again, Nik!" Paul joked. Going by the questions so far, Paul wasn't sure he was so jealous of Nik going on twice.  
"Pick a question, Nik."   
Pino watched them impatiently. He had still not given in to the temptation of drinking, and Marilyn had neither, but it was getting obvious that he was growing tired of "babysitting" with Marilyn, his girlfriend of seven months.  
"Okay, just a minute..." Nik poured himself some water with shaky hands, "Now I'm ready." He cleared his throat, "Question: What is the type of eye colour that you fall for the most? Option A: Blue eyes, Option B: Green eyes, or, Option C: Brown eyes." His throat felt dry, so he drunk the water immediately after and burped. Paul grimaced and dunked him in the lower back.  
Everyone started thinking about their choice in one way or the other. Paul tried to clear his head. Pino and Marilyn tried their best while Steve was falling asleep, Mark was more concerned about a figurine near the TV, and Kim had got up swaying in the direction of the flat's kitchen.  
"Is everyone done thinking about their answer? Placed your bets?" Pino pushed. The ones who were still sane enough to participate nodded.  
"I think you're the type to fall for green eyes, Nik." Pino started.  
"I thought of blue eyes," Marilyn added.  
Steve snored and Mark smiled absentmindedly. Maz shuffled about in the kitchen. Paul smiled awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair. He tried to suppress a burp and got away with it.  
"Erm, I quite disagree," Paul said. "I think that depends on what you're looking for, Nik."  
Pino, being the sober one, immediately protested. "Shut up, Paul! You have to stay within the options!"  
This outburst made Pino the receiving end of some quite angry eyes from Maz. "Agh, Pino, why do you always have to be this competitive? It's just a game!" She complained.  
Paul bit his lips and then looked at Nik. "I could see you with a girlfriend with blue eyes." He raised his eyes, inhaled, and then reached for the almost empty Cola bottle beneath the party table with countless spots and stains.  
"So? What do you say?" Pino asked Nik conclusively.  
Nik tried his best to smile as he shook his head disappointedly. "Sorry. You were all wrong..."  
He was momentarily interrupted by a highly intoxicated Kim Leslie, who stomped through the living room in the same instant.  
Nik continued from where he left off, "I fall for brown eyes. I like them a lot."

"Oooh." The band members who were still sober enough to play the original game fell silent. Kim, on the other hand, did not hide her newfound enthusiasm for the game she had been slacking for the past half an hour.  
"Dwo ya like bwown ewes, Nik?" Kim slurred and laughed. "Twas funny, 'cause Pwaul has them! Hwe could be your dream guy!" She continued, grabbing hold of the edge of the window as to not fall flat down onto her bum.  
Paul, Marilyn, Pino and Nik were all visibly horrified.  
Paul and Nik didn't dare to look at each other, Pino hid his face in his hands, and Marilyn gasped at her.  
"Kim, what the Hell are you talking about? You and alcohol is such a dream team, ha?" Maz practically shrieked into her face. As a response, Kim danced a few TOTP-worthy steps before she fell onto the floor.  
Pino cursed away into his hands.   
"Ugh, I could hit you with my handbag now!"   
Marilyn, who was glowing with half-drunken anger, got up from the sofa to help her duo mate into a stable side position.  
The kitten which Nik and Paul slowly tried to get a hold of showed signs of stress from all the noise. Paul sighed as he felt a headache incoming.  
The group of musicians which had been so united before was now falling apart into five different directions, and the pair both felt that this had come too far. They agreed to retreat into the flat's bathroom to get some peace.

**In the bathroom, half-past two in the night:**

Nik sat on a stool in the shower with the kitten in his hands while Paul washed his face. The alarm clock in the bathroom read 02:34. Paul opened the bathroom window as he felt too hot, breathing in the cold February night air.

"So, now you've met my band!" Paul sarcastically remarked. "You can run for the hills now if you like."  
Nik frowned. "No, no, Paul— they're not too bad. But some of them don't mix with alcohol." He laughed dryly.

"Do you have any nausea?" Paul shrugged, turning to the sink. He opened the bag he brought with him to the party, revealing a makeup removal kit. In the yellow light from the mirror, he started removing his foundation.  
Nik shook his head. "Nope. But I tried to hold back a bit."  
Paul smiled warmly. "Right. That's good."

"What's... Their... Kitten named? I think... She's... falling asleep now."  
Nik heard the noise from the living room had died down slowly.   
"She's called Curie."   
Paul finished up the makeup removal by washing his face.  
"That's a little too intellectual for Pino and Maz as a couple, isn't it?" Nik joked cheekily, looking at the sleepy furball in his arms.  
"It is. They only got her recently," Paul winked, as he turned to Nik properly.

_"Do you want me to remove your makeup?" He then said in a lower voice._  
_Nik smiled tiredly. "Thank you so much, Paul."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My longest chapter so far! Are you still there, dear readers? 
> 
> I didn't plan for the bus situation to take up so much word space, but it did nonetheless and I don't feel like changing that. Another scene I had in mind got cut, instead. That sucks a bit. This is also my *first time* writing fanfiction involving The Royal Family, so it's not the best attempt for the time being. Sorry!  
Bonus info: The incident at the end happened to me personally at my first (and last...) high school party. I tried to reimagine it for this chapter and I think it went well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nik and Paul visit a local record shop together in the evening to get inspiration for their songwriting. When Paul invites Nik out to party after, Nik hesitates. They end up compromising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by my recent holiday in Lübeck, Germany.

**March 1985**

"Nik, Nik, over here!" Paul called out across the street.  
"Ah, Paul! There you are!" Nik sighed as he looked back at Paul, waiting for the green light to cross the road. Whenever it lit green, Nik waddled over the street. Nik's movement was not unlike a penguin's due to his clothes: Black, spacey (but still warm) trousers with a white shirt and a red any black spring jacket. After a dorky hug, Paul noticed how Nik had changed his coat from the winter one he'd had on all winter. Only now he realised that all the months he'd known Nik, Nik had worn the same, fuzzy brown coat.  
Paul quickly glanced over Paul's outfit and smiled teasingly.  
"Winter coat's gone, eh? I almost thought that you'd wear it all summer, too!"  
Nik laughed, putting his hands into his pockets. "You wouldn't think I'm a pop star, would you?"  
Paul smirked. "Don't worry. I like you all the same."  
"Eh-heh, thanks, Paul."   
They started to walk down the streets of the town looking for some entertainment.

"So... What do you want us to do, exactly?" Nik asked Paul. He tried to look at Paul's outfit without it being too obvious.  
Paul was wearing a black coat with a turquoise tracksuit. Nik frowned a bit inside.

_These colours don't match Paul that well. _ _They kind of make him look dodgy._

"I thought we could visit a record shop, browse around a little bit, and then see where it takes us," Paul suggested. "I know we're both musicians... We could both find inspiration there."   
Nik shrugged with a little smile. "Yeah, why not. I've paid some attention to releases at the moment... They inspire me when I'm not sure what to write." He added.   
To that, Paul didn't reply. He just smirked knowingly.

The two guys walked onwards. Paul glanced at Nik's white trousers and red jacket, but as soon as he sensed Nik's eyes him, he pretended to look at something else. Nik decided to let it slide, but licked his lips.   
When they reached a nearby record store, Nik walked in first and made space for the taller Paul.   
An employee at the record store recognised them and smiled at them behind the counter. Shuffling in a starstruck manner, she rubbed her arms.   
"Nik Kershaw and Paul Young... Erm, welcome! What can we offer you today?"   
While Paul lost himself in the C-D vinyl row, Nik shook his dead dismissively as he tried to smile sweetly.   
"We're just looking, is that okay?" He muttered. He then unzipped his jacket pocket and took on his pair of sunglasses before returning to Paul. Paul was not difficult to locate due to his notable height.   
Paul had almost rammed his head into a lamp in the ceiling if Nik hadn't distracted him one moment before.   
To prevent that from happening, Nik turned around, grabbed a random vinyl, and practically shoved himself near Paul.   
Nik exaggerated a gasp. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, Paul! I can't believe I found this...!" He gestured at the vinyl.

Paul moved his head away from the ceiling lamp in instant. He confusedly sat down onto an available chair as he ran a hand through his dark brown, long locks.   
Nik inhaled deeply as he held the record between his hands.   
"Hazell Dean!" Nik sighed happily, for a moment not knowing whether he genuinely meant it or not.   
Paul looked from the red record to Nik and back again.   
"Really, Nik? Hazell Dean? Is that what you almost ran me over for?"   
Nik bit his lips in embarrassment. "You were... Almost about to hit your head on that blue lamp over there." Nik started laughing in an attempt to make the situation less awkward.   
Paul looked softly at Nik but didn't feel like saying anything.   
Nik put the record back from where he took it. As Paul got up from the chair, more carefully this time, Nik immersed himself in a Deep Purple poster which was hanging on the wall. He shrugged and flicked through more records.

"What do you think of this one?" Paul then said with a record in hand over from the R section of the shop. Nik turned around and tried to get closer. He lifted the sunglasses off his face subtly before looking at the record.   
"Rubber Soul, eh? I like that one. But as I told you, I was a David Bowie teenager. Nik smiled smugly; "A curly one, at that."  
Paul smirked in a flustered manner.  
"You've got to show me sometime. That sounds adorable."  
Nik blushed in return. "I didn't even look that good, honestly."

The music store employee who had greeted them walked towards them now. She was a brunette, looked to be in her mid-twenties, and was wearing a white and red-striped tracksuit, not unlike Paul's. Nik retreated a bit as he glanced from her to Paul's turquoise disaster fashion choice.

"Erm, hello, I just wanted to check if you two need any help? Are you looking for something specific or are you just hanging about? That's okay too, of course, but we don't have celebrities here every day, and we wanted to make sure you were not feeling overlooked..." She tried to hold back an awkward wheeze. Paul softly shook his head as he tried to read her name tag. Nik was not feeling that great with her present and kind of backed into a corner.

"Don't worry, Saoirse, we are fine. We are not looking for anything specific right now. We'll let you know if we find something, okay?" Paul tried to smooth the situation as soon as he sensed Nik wasn't feeling great. She left soon after, and Paul looked concernedly at Nik when it was just the two of them once again.

_Oh, god, Nik's upset. I don't know how to handle this, _Paul thought in a slight panic. _We have known each other for four months now, but I have never seen him uncomfortable like this before._

"Do... Do you want to sit down, get some fresh air, Nik?" Paul hesitated. "If you want out, I know a great place we can go not too far away from here."  
Nik sighed tiredly. "I don't know, Paul." He sounded a bit regretting. "Something about her just made me feel trapped." He whispered.  
Paul looked from Nik to the counter and finally to the store's door. He licked his lips as he settled on a decision.  
"Nik, we're leaving." His brown eyes met Nik's grey-ish blues. "I don't want you to get all tense in here."  
Nik nodded. They slowly made it to the door, but before they left, Nik stopped Paul in his tracks.  
"Wait, Paul. We should sign the door with those sharpies over there. We haven't exactly been the best celebrity customers, you know. We should sign it and say that we were here."  
Paul rubbed his chin, but then cracked up in a mischievous smile.  
"Okay, I'm in. If you take the purple one, I'll take the blue. And we'll write it like this..." Paul comically stretched himself above the door and pretended to write on the wall above it. Nik hushed him and pulled in his shirt.  
"No, not like that! On the outside so that everyone can see. Then they'll surely go on there." He felt in an entirely different mood now he was feeling the effect of a minor adrenaline rush.  
"Okay, but you go first, as you're the smallest. I'll stand here and pretend to look at some magazines of Tears for Fears or something." Paul scratched his hair as he true to word picked up one of the magazines.  
Nik on the other side of the door signed the door with his purple marker and added some hearts. _"Nik Kershaw was here"_  
Shortly after Nik finished, Paul peeked his head through the door. Nik giggled loudly.  
"We really are a terrible duo, aren't we?" He tried to hold back a genuine laughing fit. Paul grabbed his wrist to make him calm down. Nik soon after got a hold of himself and the laughing was reduced to a goofy grin. Paul promptly released his hand from Nik's wrist.

"Ey, see this up here, this needs just a little touch of me, then it's perfect." He looked at Nik and raised his eyebrows.  
Nik sensed his laugher returning. He desperately looked at Paul. "Paul, I... Paul, you got to hold me, or I'll laugh again and we'll get in trouble! Just do it as we did before and I'll control myself, I promise."  
Paul didn't even second-think it as he grabbed the younger man by the wrist again, and then scribbled his autograph next to Nik's with the blue marker. He briefly added some hearts, but whenever h heard footsteps coming from inside the shop, his face turned into a serious one.  
They looked at one another as their eyes flashed with momentary insecurity.  
"They can't just tell us off, can they? We are famous!" Nik panicked now and his voice shook like a 6th grader who had shot a ball through a basement window.  
"No. Turn your brain off, Nik, it's when you overthink you get caught. We are chucking it!" Paul now searched for Nik's hand, took it, and practically pulled him away from the record store. Benefiting from his long legs, he pulled Nik away from the door and into another street in time.  
To be completely safe, they ran a while down the street until they were out of sight. Nik had to take a moment to breathe properly again, while Paul didn't feel much of a difference. Nik's head was reddening by the second, and he rubbed his sore legs.   
Paul shuffled awkwardly. "I didn't know your condition was in _that _state, Nikki."

"Thanks, Paul, it was not like you almost pulled four ribs out of my back," Nik panted. "By the way, stop calling me Nikki."   
Paul tried his best to act neutrally as an elderly couple passing by stared at them in a judging manner.   
Nik straightened himself out the moment he felt like his body was cooperating again. Paul shrugged but couldn't help smiling at the series of insane events which had just happened.

After they had walked through the streets for a while and also had been to the local church to admire the architecture, Paul cleared his throat.   
"Are you hungry? Should we get something from somewhere? Support the local small shops. Maybe sign a few things for fun."

Nik rubbed his eyes. "No... I'm not hungry right now." He sighed and attempted to stretch out. "Aw, running earlier really got me sore, though."   
Paul chuckled. "You look fitter than you are, eh? Do you want me to sort out a party for you?" He then squinted his eyes, "Didn't you recently have your birthday? You deserve a party. Did you even _have _a birthday party?"

Nik made a strained grimace. "Stop it, Paul! You're loading me over. No, I'd not like to go to a party, I'm sorry, just..." Nik looked down. "You know what I think about parties."   
He looked defeatedly at Paul.   
"Agh, you're right. That was stupid of me, I don't know what I'm doing, Nik..."  
"It's okay, just... Take us away from here, maybe at yours or somewhere else, I don't know, maybe it's just too stressful here."

"Well, if you want, then I'll take you. Do you want to go to mine?" Paul asked, having that same feeling as before of not being able to handle the situation.  
"I don't mind, Nik, if that's what you want?" Paul tried again.

Nik yawned. "Sorry, Paul, but I really must be more tired than I first thought I was. I feel like falling over, or like I'm drunk!"  
"You are the most energic person I know for sure," Paul smirked.  
"Come on, blackbirdy, back to the car it is." He then concluded.   
Nik elbowed Paul on the side hearing this remark.  
"I said stop it with the nicknames already, Paul! It doesn't sit right with me! And if you don't, I'll come up with something worse." He protested, although his voice undeniably had something teasing in it.  
Paul simply found his car keys in his pocket and swung them around his pinky finger.  
"It sounds like you have regained your energy now, Nik, I should call on the party for ya."  
"Sod off!" Nik gasped. "You're annoying, Paul."  
Paul didn't let Nik's temper get to him. They walked on through the chilly, darkening March air until they got to Paul's car nearby.

**Fifteen minutes later**

"Huh, it's quite bright still, isn't it? Just a few months ago it was pitch black outside." Nik tried to get the conversation on track again after they had bickered a bit during the car ride.   
"Ungh, I guess it was? We are almost approaching the middle of March, so not too long until those early mornings start. Pesky ones."   
Paul walked up the last flight of stairs before he got to his flat. He locked himself into the hallway and turned on the light. Nik walked in too and sniffed in the air.

_If Paul smelled like Paul... Then this was an entire ocean of Paul._

"It's not much, but it'll do," Paul humbly said as he took off his jacket and shoes.   
Not wanting to be a bother, Nik hurriedly did the same thing.   
Paul turned on the lights in the kitchen area as well, and Nik whistled when he saw the interior of Paul's flat.  
"Paul, eh, you needn't be humble, this is priceless!" He said. "Definitely not bad."   
Paul nodded, self-satisfied.   
"I like it. It feels like home to me. I don't get that feeling often with hotels. You know what that's like, don't you?"   
"Yeah." Nik looked around. "I do know that."

Paul ran a hand through his hair and pointed towards his bathroom. "The toilet's there. I'll be back in five minutes. Just got to change my clothes. I hope this is fine with you."

"Of course, Paul. Why shouldn't you? I'll wait."   
Nik laughed awkwardly as he sat down in one of Paul's expensive chairs. Mentally, he went through what he truly felt for it, but physically, he tried his best to smile.

_Thank Heavens that is going away, and may it never return._

When Paul returned out, Nik had to do a double-take.   
Gone was the terrible turquoise and raspberry tracksuit. New in was a fresh outfit: white velour jeans and a curious yellow t-shirt.   
"That's... Different, Paul, I must say." Nik felt overwhelmed.   
"You think? Maybe I should go back to the tracksuit?" He looked at Nik and tilted his head, not knowing what Nik was fussing about.   
"No! No need. No, no, no, Paul, this is fine." Nik sighed heavily, then leant back in the chair.   
"I'm sorry, I'm so rude. You must think I'm awkwardness itself."   
"You're not rude, just tired." Paul laughed. "Make yourself feel like you're home, Nik. Do you want me to make us some tea?"

Nik shifted his position to a more comfortable one.   
"Ugh... My back hurts now." He complained. "I really shouldn't have ran earlier."   
"You're so precious, you. At least you don't dunk your head against every other lamp."   
Nik smiled in response.

When the tea was ready, Paul came over with it and dumped a soft, grey blanket onto Nik's lap.   
"You shouldn't have..." Nik started, but Paul shook his head.   
"You better believe I'm not that soft with anyone. Normally I'm much more business-minded. The money or nothing!" He teased and attempted to tickle Nik's stomach. Nik let out a high-pitch scream he tried to fight back.   
"Get off me, we haven't even had tea yet!" He tried to say in between bouts of laughter.   
This went on a couple of minutes. Then Paul's arms got tired. Nik leant back into the chair and took more than a few deep breaths.   
Paul sat into the chair next to Nik's, pretending the tickle attack never had happened in the first place.   
Nik decided to do the same thing, picked up his mug and stared into the hot tea.   
"This is so unlike me, but do you have any rumours from your management to share?"  
Nik furrowed his eyebrows.  
"Like what? My manager or something? Brian?"  
Paul shuffled in his seat. "I suppose. I just don't know them at all apart from your assistant. Maybe someone had ego problems."  
Nik finished his tea. "Brian? Well, certainly. Remember how he practically growled at me some months ago? He's terrible."  
Paul patted Nik on the back in solidarity.  
"Tell you what, my promotional agent is even worse. I avoid him when I can."  
"I see," Nik responded, then got carried away in other thoughts.  
They sat in somewhat comfortable silence for a while.

"Do you sometimes think about how your life would be like if you weren't famous?" Nik asked tiredly, cupping his head in his hands.  
Paul shook his head. "No, I don't. I mean, this is my life now. There's no way I can undo this now."  
Nik sighed in defeat. "Lately, I think I'm rubbish. Sales are plummeting for the first time in a while. I don't feel good."

"You've already done so much, Nik. Who would have thought it?" Paul insisted.  
"No," Nik dismissed. "I feel like I'm doing it wrong."  
Paul scratched his hair in disbelief. "That's not true, Nik. You're in almost every household now, I mean as a copy. Not many artists can say that. Surely not solo acts."

Nik looked at the table, fidgeting sadly. "Maybe I'm just imagining things. But I feel like I don't get along with the Krew like I used to."

"Don't worry about it, Nik, maybe it's just a bad period right now." Paul put the tea mugs aside as he gestured he was getting up.  
"D'ya want a hug, Nik? You look like someone who could use a proper one."  
Nik hesitantly got up but was soon comforted by the warm embrace of the taller man. Paul felt Nik's hair tickle against his loose t-shirt and caressed his hair and back warmly.

Nik's breathing slowed as he started to feel safe. Paul embraced Nik, and Nik put both his arms around Paul's life.  
"Sorry," Nik said. "I think I overreacted right there."  
Paul picked up a strand of Nik's hair and curled it around his finger. "I'll never judge you for having the feelings you have."

He gradually loosened the embrace. Nik went back to pick up the blanket from the chair, putting it around his shoulders.  
"Can I stay the night? I feel absolutely drained now, my back and all."  
Paul nodded sweetly. "Of course you can stay. We'll sort that out quickly."

Nik anxiously smiled at Paul. "But we're not going to sleep in the same room, are we?"   
Paul smirked back at Nik.  
"No. No, we are not. I have a comfortable spare mattress somewhere in here. Let me show you where it is."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's towards the end of the April leg of Nik's UK tour. So far, so great, but all is not well with Nik. Nik breaks down after a concert and feels fed up with it all. Paul calls him at what turns out to be just the right time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please beware the present angst, plus heavy-duty swear words. It's certainly not for everyone.

**April 1985**

_I'm all alone. And I can't sleep._

Nik rubbed his sore face with both of his hands, lying spread-eagled on his hotel bed. The lights were off and the sun had long set despite it being well into the spring, a fact that Nik had enjoyed. He considered himself sensitive to the seasonal changes, feeling more gloomy than usual during the winter nights. The winter nights were now over.   
Unfortunately, tonight was not easy. No amounts of sunlight he'd had throughout the day could fix what unsettling feelings he went through right now.   
Nik felt quite down in the dumps. So much in fact, that he was unable to sleep.

After the evening concert of the day, Nik's mood had quickly gone downhill for no apparent reason. Nik had made a swift escape from the concert hall with his manager and assistant, who had dropped him off at their hotel. He was now left on his own despite there being no doubt about his state of mind. What didn't make anything better was Brian and Lauren bickering during the entire car ride about finances and to Nik completely irrelevant things.   
He had come into his hotel room, turned off every light and laid himself down on the bed, still fully clothed with boots included.

Nik felt a void in his stomach, a threatening knot of emptiness growing bigger for each passing hour.   
_Nobody knows that I feel this way, _Nik bitterly thought. _Or maybe they do know, but they just don't care._

He desperately ran his hands through his messy hair, which was getting tangled from changing positions quarterly. Nothing felt quite right.

Cupping his head in his hands, he rolled over onto his stomach across the bed and stared mindlessly at the blue curtains which were drawn.

_Maybe I'm just their machine, working for them every day. _Nik sighed deeply at the unwelcome thoughts in his head. _Maybe I don't even matter in the grand scheme of things._

He plummeted his head down into the pillow and covered it with his hands, feeling increasingly burnt out for every negative thought. It was as if his head worked overtime to critique everything he had ever done.

_My fans don't even like me that much. _Nik rubbed his temples violently trying to stop the coarse voice in his head which was his own yet so strange to him. _My popularity is dying down and people are starting to distrust your further success._

_For fuck's sake! This is not even me. Can't be. _  
Nik couldn't decide what to do with his duvet. He clumsily pulled it towards him and collected it in his lap, then deciding it was too warm and kicking it onto the floor.   
A sting of guilt hit him after as well as a burning, pressing feeling in the upper part of his chest. He turned on the bedside lamp and left the bed, pulling off his boots.

He took a few sips of water from his water bottle, but could barely down it. His throat felt itchy despite any hydration.  
Feeling utterly defeated, he returned to the bed. Nik then grabbed the green phone by the bedstand and pressed in the number of his manager, Brian. He figured he wouldn't be due much comfort from Brian, but he felt like hearing someone's - anyone's - voice right now, even though it was quite late.

_"Nik Kershaw? Why are you calling me at this hour of the night? You do know tomorrow it's up at 5 in the morning?"_  
Just as Nik had sorely predicted, Brian didn't have any sort of filter on tonight.  
"I... Brian, I'm not feeling good, that's all," Nik gulped, "I feel like I'm having a really bad headache and pressuring feeling and I can't sleep."  
Nik closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply to calm himself down for the anger outburst which was probably going to happen.  
_"Jesus Christ, Nicholas!" _Brian hissed angrily. Every new hurtful word dug into Nik's stomach like needles and pins.  
_"Man up! You're a pop star and it's supposed to feel this way! If you don't feel pain, like you're going to burst, you are not doing it well enough! So you should take it as a good sign, and toughen up."_  
Nik felt the corners of his eyes wet in distress as he felt near his breaking point.  
"But... But I don't want to take it as a good sign. I have an acidic feeling in my stomach and I'm going to throw up if I'm not careful." Nik's voice started to get fainter as his desire to end the call altogether grew.  
_"That's what you get for not sleeping well, Nicholas, you damn well know that! Now turn that silly phone off, turn my call off, and go to sleep."_  
Nik bit his lower lip in frustration as he breathed heavily into the phone.  
"You do know that if I'm getting sick, I can't perform, right, Brian?"Nik's voice was getting desperate as he tried to assert dominance, a seemingly impossible task.  
Brian was quick to clap back. _"If you're sick, Nik, then there's not much we can do. You have to get better all on your own in your room here. We can extend the stay if you like your room-"_  
Nik cried tiny droplets of anger tears as he knocked over a glass of water near the phone in hopes to startle Brian. He tore the curtains from each other and opened the hotel window, suddenly feeling breathless.  
"You sick fuck!" Nik shouted into the phone. "I'm bloody discontinuing you! And don't you dare, don't you dare to come for me. I am sick and I am tired of your abuse. You should never, ever have had a managing job." Nik's voice cracked over completely in time for him to slam the phone down and end the call. He crouched over back into the bed, crying angrily in the foetal position. An urge to smoke snuck into his head, but Nik suppressed it since he was in a non-smoker's room. He got up, opened the window further, then stormed to the door in an angry haze, making sure it was locked throughout. In the chill April air, he undressed himself to feel freer. His socks came off, as well as his synthetic jeans. He undid his shirt as well, but only upon doing it, he realised how tight and unfriendly to the skin the clothes really were. He decided to scrap it all apart from his briefs, wrapped himself in a white hotel bathrobe, and back in the bed he was - feeling a bit better, although still affected.  
The chill - not cold - April night air somehow made him calm down a bit.

He then pressed his assistant's, Lauren's, number and waited.

_"Nik? Hello, is something wrong? Why are you not sleeping?"_  
Nik sighed in relief as he put the phone closer to his ear.  
"I felt really awful earlier so I decided to call Brian about it and he... We had a massive argument and I basically told him to go to Hell..." Nik laughed dryly into the phone, "I don't want him as my manager. I want to discontinue him."  
Lauren waited a bit before she responded.  
_"Nik, aww... Is it really that bad? I know he has anger management issues, but..."_  
Nik took away her pause in speech. "This is serious. Lauren, I want out. And I want out as soon as possible. I can never look at him again." He desperately pleaded.  
Lauren chuckled uncomfortably. _"We cannot just- Nik, you can't change your management in the middle of a tour, you know? You need to clear you falling out with him."_  
"You've got to be kidding me!" Nik burst. "There's just no way I and he are ever going to work out. I need a new manager now."  
Nik could hear Lauren audibly gulp. _"Okay, okay, look, Nik, I'll get it sorted, yes? It's fine, it'll be fine, I promise. Please go back to sleep."_  
Nik still felt bitter but decided to give the poor woman some peace. "Thanks, Lauren, you've been so good to me. Goodnight." Nik mumbled.  
_"Goodnight, Nik." _Lauren then hung up. Comforted that at least _something _was being done, Nik pushed his pillow further up on the nightstand and leant back, trying to relax his body. It was quiet for now.

_De-dum-dum. De-dum-dum. De-dum-dum._

Or so he thought.

Nik couldn't hold back a little yawn as he squinted at the display screen.  
He wasn't entirely sure who was calling him, as the number was a bit strange. Nevertheless, something told him to pick up, which he did.

_"Hi Nik, it's Paul." _  
Nik almost went out of his mind when he realised who the rusty voice belonged to.  
"Paul, I... No. Hello? Erm... Nik."Nik internally slapped himself for his clumsy response.  
Paul laughed, and Nik felt his temples tingle. _"Please excuse me for calling you on this Godawful hour, but I thought we hadn't talked for a while, so I wanted to know how you were doing with your tour and all. And I figured that calling late would be the only time you were free, also done with any girl admirers you'd taken home from the concert."_  
"I... Paul! You know I'd never do that for my fans! I'm a respectable man." Nik dismissed - blushing heavily.  
_"I'm so terrible, sorry. Anyway... How's ya doing Nikki?__" _Paul laughed innocently.   
Nik small butterflies form in his stomach, and not negative ones at that. He sighed heavily and cracked a small smile.   
"I, erm... I was having such a terrible time before you called. It's difficult to explain this now, but I was having a huge crisis. My manager is going to hate me forever."

A small pause followed. Nik figured Paul needed time to come up with a proper reply and leant back into the bed as the moonlight outside the window hit his legs.   
_"What have you done, Nik? I knew your manager was... Special, but what have you done to really fall out with him?"_

"I..." Nik's voice cracked. "I really failed this time, Paul. I insulted Brian personally, so much I think we'll never recover. And as for me, well, I risk getting dropped." Nik couldn't hold back anxious tears now and dried his eyes with the back of his hand.

_"Dropped from what?" _Paul asked confusedly. _"Are you sure it's __going to be that bad?"_

"Yes, absolutely!" Nik insisted. "Paul, I'm crying. I'm scared. I don't want to lose my job in the middle of my twenties. I'm at the top of my career."   
_"Oh well." _Paul sighed heavily. _"I can understand that. I don't know what to say except that you have my support, Nik."_

"Paul, take my mind off it, please..." Nik pleaded. "I'll deal with it later."   
_"Okay, that's fine. What do you want to talk about?", _Paul asked.

Nik rubbed his chin. "How's your music doing? Any news on a music video you're doing? I knew you told me about a music video, love the common people or something."

Paul laughed awkwardly. _"Love of the Common People? That's from 1983, Nikki. That's a while ago and already out, you know."_

Nik's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. _"_But you started it, you said it first-" He protested.

He heard Paul was getting embarrassed as well from the way his voice sounded on the telephone. _"No, I didn't. Erm... Are you writing any new material at the moment? Any songs for an album or so?"_

Nik was overcome by a tired feeling and pulled the duvet cover over himself, lowering the pillow so that he could lie down. He restrained a yawn as he made himself comfortable. "What? Well, yes and no. The management feud has nearly sucked all life out of me."

Nik heard Paul chuckle but didn't feel like responding anymore. Suddenly, he felt more empty and sad than before.   
"Paul, I... I feel so sad and overwhelmed right now. It's back, it's stronger, it's..."   
Nik's face felt heavy and his lips dry.   
_"Nik, I don't know how to help you, honest to God I don't," _Paul was obviously hesitating. _"I'm panicking just as much as you are when you say that you're feeling bad."_ He said through gritted teeth.

Nik sighed. "I don't want to burden you with my silly thoughts. What do I have no be sad over anyway, I'm a famous pop star and I... I made it, I suppose." He wiped his nose. "A lot of pop stars can't say they did."

Paul inhaled deeply. _"So? See, it's not- Not everything is lost. It wasn't in the first place. Do you sometimes struggle to see the bigger picture of things?"_

"The bigger picture?" Nik laughed in confusion. "What bigger picture?"

_"Details or in general. Erm... You didn't understand that, did you?" _Paul replied.

Nik shook his head as he held the phone, getting more confused and embarrassed than before.

"I write metaphors for a living and when you say them, I cannot even understand them," Nik laughed defeatedly. "That's rather ironic. Don't let the press know."

Paul laughed back, and the mood lightened up a bit.   
_"Exclusive revelation: Nik Kershaw says he cannot understand metaphors. Pop culture page 14." _He teased.

"Oh, shut up, Paul. That's too much." Nik protested although Paul taking the piss made him feel better. He even caught himself blushing like a Year 7 schoolboy.

_"Ahah, Nik, that's just what you need." _Paul didn't let Nik go that easy. _"Don Qui-oh-no: Pop Phenomenon Nik Kershaw Reveals He Never Read Don Quixote In His Life."_

Nik felt an overwhelming urge to laugh, and after holding back for a while, he succumbed to it. "Bloody Hell, Paul," Nik laughed so much he gasped for air, "I don't know how to... Get back at you for this. You're not even here, you..." He laughed.

_"Let me see if I have any more to share... Ahhh." _Paul exhaled, self-satisfied. _"Smash Hits: How Not To Do Pole-Vaulting ft, Nik Kershaw."_

"Where the heck... did that... come from?"Nik noticed laughter tears rolling down his cheeks as he laid a hand on his tummy. His stomach was beginning to hurt from laughing so much, but Nik relished the feeling. Looking back, I struck him that he couldn't remember the last time he had a belly laugh quite like this.   
_"I... I don't know, Nik. I don't fuckin' know where that came from. But it's bloody hilarious all of a sudden." _Paul laughed back.

After a while, their laughter died down a bit. Nik knew when Paul cleaned his throat.   
_"Nik, are you feeling better now? Did that help?"_ He asked concernedly.   
Nik shrugged but felt a cuddly warmth spread into his body from his stomach.   
"Yeah, I do though. Here we were, swearing like an old married couple. I didn't know it could be that exhilarating." He smiled softly.   
_"Like an old married couple, yeah?" _Paul replied amusedly. _"Maybe we should do that more often. For one pound, you call and we bicker." _He said in a funny accent.   
Nik smiled widely, trying not to laugh again.   
"Awww. Erm, I might consider that. It's nice to know you're there. Y'know, there for me." Nik lowered his voice at the last bit.   
_"Mhm-hm? Sure. No worries."_ Paul chuckled, then fell quiet. _"You feeling better now? Can I hang up for you to sleep?" _He softly asked.

Nik bit his lower lip. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have you around a little bit longer. I'm getting there, though..." He awkwardly laughed.   
_"That's fine, I don't have any plans for tomorrow," _Paul reassured._ "Let's- Let's play a grounding game. That will distract you." _He suggested.   
Nik rubbed his neck nervously. "What do you mean? What's the game about? I've never heard of it."   
_"Are you nervous?"_ Paul chuckled. "_Why? The game is just me asking you things about where you are and your senses, and you reply to me what you sense. Okay?" _  
Nik nodded. "I'm in." 

  
_Come on, just a game, what could go wrong?_

_"Nice. Right, then... What do you see in front of you?"_ Paul asked calmly.   
Nik looked around his hotel room. "Err... My hotel room with white walls. My towels and clothes. My bed, my cabinets... The open window next to me, and the moonshine. Trees... Yeah. Nothing special."

_"That's good."_ Paul encouraged. "_What do you... hear?" _  
Nik paused for a bit, picking up any sounds near him. He shook his head. "Nothing much. It's so quiet, it's almost like even the silence is too loud," He laughed. "No. I hear... Your voice with the sound of some people walking in front of the hotel... Distant nightlife and chattering." He said.

_"Not bad!"_ Paul replied again._ "What about the smell, what do you smell?" _  
Nik sniffed the air. "I smell the hotel room smell, you know that one, yeah? Slightly dusty with a touch of lemon. Erm, leather. And fresh laundry." He said, then yawned.

_"You're so good at this," _Paul remarked. _"What does your body touch?"_ He asked, then quickly corrected himself.   
Nik curiously felt blood rush to his cheeks and just below the stomach area. "Wha-at?" His voice cracked as he blushed.   
_"No, no, no, but not as in what you're wearing, for God's sake. That was not meant to... Jesus." _Paul desperately sighed.   
Nik felt like he could bet his bottom pound that he was blushing just as ridiculously as he was.   
"That's fine, you've already ruined it for yourself... Go on then and make it dirty!" Nik said teasingly.

_"Agh... Nik, I..."_ Paul stammered. _"You've caught me entirely off guard! I didn't even know... Jesus..."_ He exhaled deeply. _"Really. Oh God, Nik. I was not prepared." _  
Nik blushed heavily. "You weren't? I thought you were going to ask me what I was wearing immediately." He teased.

Paul sighed. _"No, that's not true, I wouldn't-"_ He protested.   
"That was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Nik devilishly grinned onto the phone. He noticed that his legs were tingling.

_"Shut up, you."_ Paul tried to protest again. _"Nobody has ever said that was my plan." _He sounded rather angry, but then calmed down. _"Nik, can we end this call?"_ He yawned._ "I feel extremely knackered all of a sudden."_ He confessed.   
Nik shrugged. "Well, I guess it takes two. I suppose I could use some sleep." He ran a hand through his hair.   
_"Of course, you need your beauty sleep like a little princess,"_ Paul laughed, getting back at him.   
"That's enough, Paul. Okay, goodnight, then. See you sometime next month, I guess." He replied, feeling truly tired too now.   
_"Goodnight, Nik. We'll have to see where we can fit in another meeting, eh?"_ Er, goodnight."  
Nik stared on his bedsheets as the conversation ended.  
"Goodnight."  
Then a beeping tone made him hang up. Nik shifted his position in the bed.   
Although the conversation had just been over the phone, an image of Paul was still crispy clear in Nik's mind.   
The tingly feeling in his lower part of the body was seemingly not going away, either.   
Nik hesitantly looked at the state of it, before slowly getting up to fetch a clean towel from a cabinet.   
Maybe there was something he'd been neglecting to take care of during the entire conversation, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like this curious ending? Do you want to see more of that? If so, please let me know.


End file.
